CASTING: 'M:I4', 'Wanderlust', 'The Sitter'

Now that Jeremy Renner snagged the big male lead opposite Tom Cruise in the next Mission: Impossible, the focus of Paramount Pictures, director Brad Bird and producers Cruise and JJ Abrams are intent on filling the role of a young female operative. I’m told that Lauren German and Paula Patton are testing for the job. UPDATE: I’m told that Kristen Kreuk will also test for the role…. Superbad‘s Joe Lo Truglio is replacing Fred Armisen in the role of nudist Wayne Dunbar in Wanderlust, the Judd Apatow-produced comedy for Universal which David Wain is directing from the script he wrote with Ken Marino. Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux star in the comedy about a couple that detours from a mundane life to a commune. Generate-repped Lo Truglio just completed the Universal comedy Paul… Ari Graynor has landed the female lead opposite Jonah Hill in The Sitter, the David Gordon Green-directed Fox comedy. She’ll next be seen opposite Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell in Conviction, and stars opposite Anna Faris in What’s Your Number next spring. UTA and Principal Entertainment rep her… Using Twitter (the new publicist) John Cusack informed the world today that he’ll play Edgar Allen Poe in The Raven. This isn’t going to be great news to Sylvester Stallone, whose dream is to play Poe.

40 Comments

brick • on Aug 27, 2010 9:09 am

No doubt in my mind Patton gets this role.

Card1na15 • on Aug 28, 2010 12:09 am

I don’t know Laura German or Paula Patton, but I am familiar with Kristin Kreuk. She has experience with fight scenes, so they won’t have to fake things there, and she’s a talented actress. It would be nice to see her get to find a larger audience.

Anonymous • on Aug 29, 2010 1:57 pm

GO KRISTIN………….Hey and she is shorter than Tom, lol.

Arelis • on Sep 1, 2010 1:13 am

I had no idea who Paula Patton was, so I looked her up and she’s 35. No offense to anyone in their mid-30’s, but when I think of young female operative I don’t think of someone in their mid-30’s but at least still in their 20’s.

B- • on Aug 27, 2010 9:44 am

I like Patton. She has chosen a lot of good roles.

But I hope this role is not another glorified cameo like Keri Russell’s. If she is going to be a female operative, I hope that she (along with EVERYONE in the cast) goes through extensive training so that their fight/action choreography is very believable.

Too bad Maggie Q will be tied to “Nikita”, I would have liked to see her return to a larger role in MI4.

DB • on Aug 27, 2010 2:50 pm

I bet Keri Russell benefited more from that short intense scene where she gets killed than she might have as a third or fourth lead in an ensemble through the movie. For however short it was, all eyes were on her and she was great. Made me see her in a different way.

MI4 fan • on Aug 27, 2010 10:19 am

paula patton will get it. no one should feel sorry for maggie q. she has her OWN show. let it go.

Good guess • on Aug 27, 2010 10:47 am

100 bucks says Paula Patton will be approved for this

Ben • on Aug 27, 2010 11:00 am

I like Paula Patton a lot as well. Would like to see her get bigger roles. She’s beautiful but also smart and engaging. It will be interesting to see what she does taking the Charlize kinds of lead roles.

Pat • on Aug 27, 2010 11:15 am

i thought patton was going to be the next ADA on L&O:SVU?

MacGuffin • on Aug 27, 2010 12:19 pm

Most of the actresses in Mission Impossible are eye-candy . . . I suffered through 3 viewings of M:i-2 just to watch the incredible Thandie Newton.

I do hope that Paula Patton joins M:i-4. I remember her brief role in ‘Hitch’, and was struck by her unbelievable sexiness. Makes me want to write a song about her, but I think that has already been done.

jake • on Aug 27, 2010 12:50 pm

I hear that mission impossible 4 is NOT gonna be called mission impossible — HUH??? I hope that they change their minds — I hope that doesn’t mean that the theme music is gone too, that’s the exciting opening — just like the james bond opening — Paramount, please dont’ mess with the title and the music.

Steve • on Aug 27, 2010 1:12 pm

Kristen Kruek? Really? That’s one way to make me not see this. Beautiful woman, but can’t act worth a lick.

Chris • on Aug 27, 2010 8:32 pm

She was pretty good on Chuck and got a lot of critical praise for it. She really hasnt been given good material to work with but when she has, she’s actually pretty good

Jensen • on Aug 27, 2010 10:38 pm

Kristin kreuk was great on botrh smallville and chuck

Jon • on Aug 27, 2010 2:57 pm

Thandie Newton is a terrible actress!

Joy • on Aug 27, 2010 4:21 pm

Kreuk,i hope she gets it!

Jon Chambers • on Aug 27, 2010 4:35 pm

These movies bear as much relationship to the original TV series as a donut to a bottle of champagne. It’s just slapping a fabled name on a slapdash spy story and forcing their music composer to add a few notes from Lalo Schifrin’s legendary theme.

Let’em change the name; who gives a fuck? It hasn’t been Mission Impossible for years, anyway.

sam • on Aug 27, 2010 6:37 pm

kreuk kreuk i love her

JR • on Aug 27, 2010 9:42 pm

Hopefully, German gets it. She’s very likeable. Definitely don’t want Patton to get it. What a boring actor.

Arelis • on Aug 27, 2010 10:14 pm

Kristin Kreuk for the win… please! :)

rob • on Aug 28, 2010 12:10 am

Kristin KREUK HURRAY. She’s great and I want to see her.

coralie • on Aug 28, 2010 1:45 am

kristin, i want kristin in mission impossible 4 !!!! SHE IS THE BEST

tommy • on Aug 28, 2010 2:27 am

Kristin Kreuk should get it!!! She’s beautiful!! Great actress too!!

hi • on Aug 28, 2010 3:29 am

KRISTIN KREUK is the best for this role..she has a real experience in martial arts,she is an amazing actress..and she is sooo beautiful!! :)

Kamal • on Aug 28, 2010 4:45 am

PLZ Kristin Kreuk !!!

Obviously they will cast Paula • on Aug 28, 2010 9:42 am

Okay, enough with the same person posting pro-Kristin comments. She’s not much of an actress, though she’s very cute. Let’s move on. Paula Patton is beautiful AND talented, and has shown her acting chops many times. There’s no contest here.

Adam • on Aug 28, 2010 5:11 pm

Just because there are multiple posts from fans of Kristin Kreuk doesn’t mean that are ALL the same person. You’re crazy if you think that “online” she’s not by far the most well known of these actresses. Honestly, never heard of the other two before this news.

Joel • on Aug 28, 2010 5:44 am

Kristin Kreuk, hands down! She’s got a martial arts and gymnast background. Has done a ‘computer-savvy chick’ role on Chuck. Can do a wide range of genre types. She would be perfect!

Sam • on Aug 28, 2010 9:48 am

Does anyone really want to see another Mission Impossible? Its possible that with all the updates, it could be interesting but I just can’t get excited about it as long as Cruise is grinning and running his way through it. The guy just can’t act anymore. Not sure what the heck happened to the guy who did Magnolia and Born on the 4th of July but he seems to be missing in the past several years. I hope they turn the franchise over to Renner. That could be interesting. Until then, I’ll pass.

Silvio • on Aug 28, 2010 12:08 pm

KRISTIN KREUK please!!! in one word..she is AMAZING!

Sarah J • on Aug 28, 2010 1:32 pm

I love Paula but mainly because she is one half of my favorite couple and she’s a likable person. However, as an actress, she is mediocre at best. She lacks range and if she was not drop dead gorgeous, no one would be talking about her. We all know this to be true.

Her talent is lacking and for every role she gets it is because she is eye candy, anyone telling you otherwise is lying. Plus, as a whole, she is boring. Her story is boring. Her acting is bland and stiff.

But since this role is not about talent or skill, she should fit right in. She is the eye candy, which is all she will be asked to do so she’s the perfect choice for the role. Not like men care what she has to say anyway, they will just objectify her like they always do.